Alexandra
by starrynight1013
Summary: Why didn't Remus ever marry? This story answers this along and other questions the books don't address (yet) and takes place during the time of the Marauders (thus Sirius, James, Remus, Lily included). Definitely not slash
1. Mungo's and a Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor would I ever claim to own Harry Potter. Sad fact of life.

Remus hurtled through the darkness, his legs pumping with the adrenaline caused by the sight of the monster. His thoughts were muddled and confused- he knew only one thing-he mustn't let the werewolf catch him. The werewolf must be right behind him, he could almost feel its breath on his neck. Then, the worst thing that could have happened did. Remus tripped. He felt the werewolf sink its long fangs into his leg and was struck with the realization that he, Remus Lupin, was going to die, at the pitiful age of eight, as he let out a blood-curdling scream.

* * *

Remus woke with a start and gazed in wide-eyed shock at his surroundings. He was in a bed in the children's ward of St. Mungo's. Stars glittered merrily on the ceiling in an attempt to cheer the luckless patients. It was only a dream. It wasn't real, he thought to himself. But as soon as he thought this, he knew he was wrong. It was real, and he was living the nightmare.

Remus remembered last night as a sort of daze, very much like the dream he had just woken from. Except that yesterday there had been no escape. He hadn't awoken yesterday because the dream was real. Remus could try to forget the events of last night with all his might, but that didn't change the facts. He had been bitten by a werewolf, and now, he must face the rest of his life as the very thing that had destroyed all his hopes and dreams: life as a werewolf.

Born to a family of wizards, Remus knew the harsh truth about life as a werewolf: it sucked. Werewolves were despised by wizards; they were persecuted, treated as subhuman, and they certainly, without a doubt, weren't allowed to go to school to train as a wizard with normal children. Remus remembered how happy his parents had been at his notable signs of magic as a child. He recalled how they had laughed and cried with joy the first time he made a book levitate toward him. And it was all for nothing. Remus felt bitterness fill him, bitterness toward his parents for letting him wander, bitterness toward himself for being so stupid, but mostly bitterness toward the world for giving him such bad luck. For it was definitely bad luck that had made the werewolf roam so far into town, and even worse luck that, of all people, it should find the only one who couldn't possibly defend himself: a helpless eight year old, happily reading a book by the moonlight. Remus couldn't stand all the anger, couldn't bear to face reality, so he simply stared at the twinkling stars on the ceiling and fell into blissful unconsciousness.

Remus woke hours later to find that he was no longer alone in the children's ward. In the next bed over was a pretty girl with long dark brown hair and striking greenish-blue eyes. Her face broke into a warm smile when she saw he was awake, and ringlets of hair framed her face as she introduced herself. "Hello. I'm Alexandra Black, but everyone calls me Alex. What's your name?" she asked brightly, as if they were strangers meeting on the street, not two injured children in a hospital ward.

"I'm Remus, Remus Lupin," Remus replied, somewhat taken aback by the girl's friendliness.

Alex smiled again, and her face seemed to light from within. Remus wondered how such a happy girl came to be in a hospital in the first place. As if guessing his question, Alex said, "My evil cousin Bellatrix cursed me when my back was turned." Alex spat out Bellatrix's name like it was a curse itself. Then, in a slightly lower tone, she added, "Used the Cruciatus Curse too, the twit. I was lucky Sirius walked in when he did, otherwise I don't know when Bellatrix would have stopped." At Remus' shocked face, she said, "Well, it wasn't the first time either. Family parties are just a good excuse for Bellatrix to attack me. Anyway, Sirius attacked her, he can get fair protective of me sometimes, and when she fell to the floor, the curse lifted. And that's how I ended up here. What about you?"

Remus was left speechless at the wealth of information that had just poured from such a tiny mouth, not to mention her last question. Should he tell her? What would she think? She would probably scream and run from him, scared to death that he would bite her…and how could he blame her? He was a monster now. But, looking into Alex's trustworthy face, Remus decided to chance it. She'd probably just find out from a healer if he didn't tell her. Remus steeled himself for her scream and said calmly, "I was bitten by a werewolf."

Alex, however, did not scream. She simply looked at him with mingled shock and pity and managed to squeak out, "I'm sorry," in a voice that was suddenly hoarse.

Remus smiled ruefully. "So am I."

An awkward moment of silence ensued, broken finally by Alex clearing her throat and asking in a voice that was much steadier, "So, how old are you?"

"Eight."

"Really? So am I! Are you going to Hogwarts?" she blurted. A look of immediate horror alerted Remus that she realized her blunder.

"I mean, I'm sorry…didn't want to offend you or anything…" Her voiced trailed off as she looked up hopefully at Remus, her eyes begging him to forgive her.

"It's okay, really," Remus said at once. His voice, however, betrayed his regret.

"I'm sure it'll be alright," Alex quickly interjected, attempting to soothe her newfound companion. "Dumbledore is the new headmaster after all, and besides being the greatest wizard ever, I've also heard he's kind. If anyone can help you find a way to get into Hogwarts, Dumbledore can," Alex said confidently.

Remus felt his mood lighten at her words. He doubted that even the kindest and most understanding of headmasters would let a werewolf into a school full of helpless students, but it was a glimmer of hope, though faint, and he hung onto into it like a life preserver.

"Of course, my whole family hates him, excluding Sirius of course, who hates our whole family. They think he's nothing but a no good muggle lover, but I've never listened to my family anyway. Sirius is right, bunch of pompous old purebloods, think they're so wonderful just because our family's old! The only thing they've got to show from being pureblood is a high occurrence of insanity! I mean, honestly, just look at Sirius' mother…don't know how he stands her…" Alex looked up and realized that Remus was lost.

"Sorry, just ranting about my family again…you would understand if you had to live with them."

Remus nodded. From the sound of it, Alex was in worse trouble with her family than he was with being a werewolf. Or, at least equal trouble, which brought his mind back to his problem with a start.

"Alex," he said urgently in a low voice, "you won't tell anyone that I'm a …you know…will you?"

"Of course I won't. That would be horrible of me," Alex said fervently.

"And Remus?"

"Yes?"

"I really hope you come to Hogwarts."

Remus smiled, a joy he had never felt before warming him. It was almost worth being a werewolf to make his first friend.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you think (especially helpful since this is my first story)! I plan to update as soon as I can, since I know from personal experience that no one likes to be kept waiting. Thanks again!


	2. The Hogwarts Express

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter, nor would I ever claim to own Harry Potter. Sad fact of life.

Platform 9 and ¾ bustled with energy as the Hogwarts Express prepared to depart.

Remus took one last look out the window at his mother and father, their faces a bit damp but happy, waving at him from the platform. He forced himself away at last from the window, fearful that he too would become teary.

As Remus again became aware of his surroundings, he realized that the compartments were fast filling. Best find a seat quick. He was roaming the hallway, searching for an inviting seat when he came across a likely compartment.

In the compartment were two boys whispering conspiratorially. They could have been brothers, so alike did they look at first in appearance. But, upon closer examination, the two were as different as night and day. They surely couldn't be brothers. While both had black hair and dark eyes, there the resemblance stopped. The first was rather disheveled-looking, with his raven hair sticking up in all the wrong places, as if it had a life and will of its own. He was rather skinny with hazel eyes that gleamed from his pale complexion. The second had a sort of casual elegance, like royalty in disguise, with his shiny black hair framing mischievous gray eyes.

Both boys started as Remus opened the compartment, their conversation immediately breaking off.

"Sorry…didn't mean to interrupt…I'll just leave now shall I?" Remus apologized as he backed out the door.

"Don't be silly, you're perfectly welcome here. We were just discussing some business, nothing to interrupt really," the elegant boy said.

"I'm James," the other boy said, holding out his hand. "James Potter."

"And I'm Sirius Black."

"Remus Lupin, pleased to meet you both," Remus said. "Would you mind if I sat here?"

"Not at all, sit away!" Sirius said merrily. "We were just discussing houses."

"Houses?" Remus said dumbly.

"Yes, of course houses! Don't tell me you've never heard of Hogwarts houses?" James scoffed, as if the very thought that someone could be ignorant of Hogwarts houses seemed absurd to him.

"Oh yes…houses…quite forgot about them," Remus said. In truth, he had forgotten all about houses in all his excitement about actually getting to go to Hogwarts at all.

"Well then, which one do you prefer?" James asked.

"I don't know…I hadn't really thought much about it," Remus said.

"Just so long as I'm not in Slytherin I'll be happy," Sirius said with a shudder. "My whole family for generations has been in Slytherin, and I aim to break the curse or die trying. I hate the lot of them, my family that is. Well, I hate Slytherins too to be honest."

"Sirius and I both want to be in Gryffindor," James said.

"Brave fellows, Gryffindor. Got all the qualities a man needs: bravery, loyalty and a hatred for Slytherins," Sirius said.

"In that case, I think I'd like to be-" Remus was cut off by the sound of a crash against their door.

All three boys looked up. James and Sirius pulled out their wands as they jumped to their feet and opened the compartment door.

"Please, please, don't hurt me! I didn't do no one any harm! I was just…"

Smack! The small but pudgy mousy-haired boy was shoved against the wall, his pleas cut off as the breath was knocked out of him. A gang of older Slytherin boys had surrounded him and were proceeding to pound the living daylights out of him despite the fact that he was half their size.

Sirius and James didn't need to see anymore. They immediately began raining curses on the older boys, looking quite pleased with themselves when they managed to transform the group into a gang of slimy gigantic slugs with bat wings coming out of their sides.

"Interesting what the slug and bat curse do when combined," Sirius smirked.

"Yeah, those two definitely shouldn't be combined. But they're really better looking this way though, don't you agree Remus?" James said.

All Remus could do was nod. Here James and Sirius were in their first year, and they could already transform people into slugs! Or rather, bat-slugs. Clearly these two were trouble personified.

The little boy whimpered in the corner, drawing their attention. He looked up in awe at the three boys, as if he would love to crawl to them and lick their boots. But fear restrained him, and he only managed to get out, "Thank you," in his squeaky mouse voice.

"No problem," James said. "But you might want to come with us. There's no telling when they'll turn back into their own ugly selves, but I know when they do they will be less than pleased."

The boy's eyes watered as he nodded his small head. "Thank you, thank you."

"So, what is your name?" Sirius asked, getting straight to business.

"P…P…P…Peter Pettigrew."

"First year Peter?" James said kindly.

"Yes," Peter mumbled.

"Good, ours as well," he said. "I'm James Potter, and this is Sirius Black and Remus Lupin."

"P…Pleased to meet you," Peter said.

"We were just talking about," but Sirius never finished saying what exactly they were talking about, as at that precise moment a pretty, distraught young girl their age rushed into the compartment.

"Sirius! I've been looking everywhere for you!" she babbled. "I…oh, sorry…didn't realize…"

"Don't worry yourself," Sirius said with a fond smile. "This is my cousin, Alexandra Black," he said to his friends.

"Alex, Sirius!" Alex said, blushing.

"Alex, this is James Potter, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. Now what was it you were saying?" Sirius said.

As Sirius mentioned Remus' name, a strange look of recognition flashed in Alex's eyes. Remus, remembering immediately what he had told Alex in the hospital, panicked.

"Nothing important really," Alex said. "It's just that…Bellatrix is in a horrible mood."

"Giving you trouble is she?" Sirius said, a dangerous gleam in his eye.

"No…well, just the usual. I just wanted to put you on your guard," Alex said.

"You'll tell me if she harasses you?" Sirius said, his gray eyes deadly serious.

"Of course," Alex said. "Well, it was nice to meet all of you, but I really should get back to Lily," she said, shaking her cousin's friends' hands.

"Haven't we met before?" Alex said, shaking Remus' hand.

"I don't think so," Remus said, shooting Alex a meaningful look.

Please don't tell, please don't tell.

"My mistake," she said convincingly.

As she slid the door shut, Remus breathed a sigh of relief, and the conversation turned to a lighter note: Quidditch.

* * *

Alex was walking out of Potions, so far her most boring subject, when someone grabbed her hand. She turned quickly, her hand automatically flaring out in defense against her cousin, when she realized that it was definitely not Bellatrix she had just hit. 

"Ouch!" Remus said.

"I'm so sorry! I thought you were Bellatrix! You see, she has this weird habit of jumping out at me, and I thought…I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?" Alex said, concern in her voice, as she looked at what would be a black eye.

"No, really, it's okay," Remus said. "I didn't mean to startle you, but I had to talk to you."

"What's the matter Remus?" Alex said.

Remus looked reluctant to start the conversation. Could it really be that bad?

"It's just that, for the first time in my life, I have friends. And I don't know what they'd do if they found out I'm a werewolf. And so I…" Remus broke off.

"Don't worry. Of course I won't tell them. I'd never tell anyone you were a werewolf Remus, I promise," Alex said.

Remus looked relieved at Alex's sincerity. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that…"

"You want to make sure. I understand," Alex said.

"Thanks."

His secret was safe.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading, and (again) PLEASE REVIEW!!! I don't know how to make this better if you don't do that! (Plus I just like to read your opinions).

Thanks to pierced-belly-buttonfor being my first everreview! Hmm...you'd think there'd be more stories that started that way (at least if they primarily concern Remus).Andif you want to know my reasoning for writing this story at all, you can read my profile; it explains how I got the idea for this fanfic.Anyways, I'm glad that you liked it, and I hope that you'll continue to read and tell me what you think. Oh, and Happy New Year!


	3. Bellatrix and the Beech Tree

Disclaimer: Once again...I do not own Harry Potter, nor would I ever claim to own Harry Potter. Sad fact of life.

Alex trailed after the rest of her class giggling like a fool. Nothing like a couple dozen of Lily Evan's perfect Cheering Charms to turn you into a raving lunatic. But at least a happy one, she admitted. The thought only made her giggle harder, which was starting to become less cheerful and more annoying, but which she also for the life of her couldn't stop.

She tried to focus on something sad in a valiant attempt to regain her sanity. It didn't work. She thought of death, she thought of her family, she thought of Bellatrix...and ran straight into something far more solid than her memories.

Pushing herself up off the floor, Alex picked up the books of the girl she had just trampled while attempting an apology through her still uncontrollable mirth.

"Sorry, I didn't see you," she laughed, as if she had just told a hilarious joke.

But no Cheering Charm, no matter how strong, could withstand Bellatrix's glare of hatred.

"I guess I'll have to teach my ickle cousin a lesson," Bellatrix sneered, her haughty eyes cold. "Blood traitor that you are."

"Better than a Pureblood bully!" Alex retorted, dropping the books, her mouth a straight, thin line, her eyes suddenly icy blue.

"Is that so, ickle bitty Alexandra? Is your big, scawy cousin going to hurt you?" Bellatrix mocked, her eyes shooting daggers. "I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave."

Alex laughed, but this time it wasn't because of the Cheering Charm.

"And I thought Slytherins were supposed to be smart. Petrificus totalus."

Bellatrix immediately stiffened and fell flat on her back like a board, her eyes no longer mocking but frozen in a look of shock at the wand Alex had pulled from her robes.

"I guess blood traitors can be crafty too, huh Bella?" Alex taunted her immobile cousin, making sure to step on her before leaving her in the deserted corridor, her books scattered around her.

And Sirius still doesn't think I can look after myself! she thought.

* * *

Remus and Alex strolled out to the beech tree. Over the past few years, Remus' feelings for Alex had grown from friendship to something quite different, which he found hard to explain and even harder to suppress. It had taken him until his sixth year to build up the nerve to ask Alex to go on a walk with him. How much longer would it take him to ask her out on a real date? They only had one year at Hogwarts left! 

They reached the beech tree and stood leaning against its trunk, watching the giant squid writhe in the lake. But the light of the lake shining on Alex's face quickly turned Remus' eyes from the squid to Alex, whom Remus found much more pleasing to look at. While Alex was completely absorbed in her contemplation of the giant squid, Remus studied her face, appreciating the play of the light, like candles, against her smooth skin. Despite the darkness, her eyes lit with the reflected light from the lake, making their greenish-blue orbs the only color he could see.

Noticing that Remus' attention had left the lake, Alex turned and blushed to meet his eyes. He had been staring at her.

"What, have I got something on my face?" she asked, grinning.

"No," Remus replied, in a shockingly unguarded moment. "You're perfect."

Remus, realizing his uncharacteristically inappropriate response, began to apologize, but Alex cut him off as her lips brushed against his, erasing all thoughts of apology.

Their second kiss was much longer, filled with the passion Remus had been repressing for such a long time.

When they came up for air, both were smiling, and their smiles turned into laughter as they met each other's eyes again.

"Well, don't stop," Alex said. "I've waited quite some time for this."

Remus was only too happy to oblige.

* * *

Remus stood up from his seat on the roots of the beech tree, reaching back to pull Alex up as well. They walked arm in arm out from the shadows of the tree, Remus holding Alex's hand as if he would never let her go. 

Alex was already reminiscing kissing under the beech tree, smiling at what Lily would say, when Remus' hand jerked. She turned toward him, confused by his sudden strange movement.

Remus had gone stiff and was twitching sporadically, as if he was fighting with all his might his own body which he suddenly couldn't control. Alex tried to steady him, hold him upright, but he grabbed her face with both hands, looking into her eyes.

"Alex, listen to me," he said, his face desperately pale and stricken, his voice strained. "Find James and Sirius, tell them what happened. But, whatever you do, don't come near me."

"But Remus, I can't just leave you like this!" Alex said, her voice fraught with fear, her eyes wide and tearful.

"GO!" Remus said, his voice commanding and deadly serious. "I don't want to hurt you!" His eyes begged her to leave him, distraught with the knowledge of what he might do to her as a werewolf.

Alex took off in a sprint toward the castle, looking back in time to see Remus' tall, thin body transform into something inhuman.

Author's Note: I know, I know, a cliffhanger! Hate to read them, love to write them!

Thanks to all the people who reviewed my last chapter. You made my day!

neurotica5684: Thanks a ton for reading! It means a lot to me since I love Truths! And, yes, Alex is one of Sirius' many cousins! But, like Narcissa, she's lacking in the wholenaming your kid after a star thing. Poor thing, mustfeel left out...not like she'd care though. I'm glad he has a lot of cousins...in my mind that made it more believable that she existed. And Alex is a Gryffindor (Iimagine that she kinda looked up toSirius as a child...model of misbehavior in his family ashe is...and so as a character she has some of his Gryffindoresquequalities, like bravery, loyalty, a hatred for her family (but who couldn't hate them anyways?), but she's not as impulsive because girls mature faster than boys!). So that explains that. And, yes, it was Lily Evans that Alex was referring to. She'sbest friends with Lily since they're in the same year and house and I imagine that they'd like eachother. And thanks for noticing that Wormtail is a sniveling, boot-licking little git! And update Truths soon!!!

cecelle: Thanks for reading (and reviewing)! I added the first part of this update as a direct response to your review...I'm trying to show what exactly Alex is made of, so tell me how you think I did! Hope you continue reading!

To everyone else: thanks for reading and please review! I will try to update ASAP!


	4. Transformation

Disclaimer: Once again...I do not own Harry Potter, nor would I ever claim to own Harry Potter. Sad fact of life.

Oh, and sorry this took so long. I'll try to be more diligent about updates from now on...but everyone says that, don't they? On to the story.

* * *

Alex hurtled down the corridors, shoving students and teachers alike in her desperation to reach the Gryffindor rooms. "Are you demented?!" a student yelled at her, as if she cared. 

"HOGSWALLUPS!" she screamed at a very startled Fat Lady, who quickly moved out of her way. Alex entered the common room, and, seeing neither her cousin nor James, she ran to the boys' dormitories. Alex ran up the steps past several shocked boys, threw open the door and ran to where Sirius and James were talking.

Sirius looked up at her footsteps and started. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Alex shook her head, panting, "No on...Remus!"

The two boys took one look at her face and guessed the problem. They came to their feet immediately, running hard to catch up with Alex who led the way.

Alex stopped her dead sprint at the beech tree. She looked around for Sirius and James, but they had disappeared. "Remus?" she said, her voice shaking, her breathing heavy.

She screamed as something shot out from the other side of the tree and, growling, leapt at her throat.

The werewolf that was Remus found its way blocked by a large black dog which threw itself at the werewolf, throat rumbling in anger. The werewolf tried to shake off the dog and come for Alex again, but found its way blocked by another large animal, this time a stag, which had appeared seemingly out of thin air and was beginning to shunt her away from the scene.

* * *

The next day, Remus conjured up his strength and cornered Alex after Transfiguration. The rest of the class had already left, and Remus faced Alex in the empty classroom. He looked a mess, his face marred by a long cut running from his forehead to his chin which Alex suspected to be the handiwork of a certain black dog.

"Your face," she said, her fingers anxiously tracing his cut.

Remus winced, grabbing her wrist. "Better my face than your throat," he said, his eyes full of regret.

He sat down on the floor, pulling her down with him. "Listen," he said nervously, playing with her fingers distractedly. "I don't remember exactly what I did last night, but I know I came close to killing you. I'd never have forgiven myself for that."

"It's alright Remus, really…"

"No, it's not alright!" Remus yelled, more angry at himself than at Alex. "I almost killed you, you understand? If it wasn't for Sirius, you would be dead!"

"You couldn't help it, it was…"

"An accident, yes. But nevertheless, an accident that almost took your life," Remus said, his voice grave. "I just wanted to say that I understand if you never want to talk to me again."

But his voice broke, betraying his true feelings. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, how could he stand losing her?

He nerved himself to meet her eyes, but when he did, he saw not fear and hatred, but amusement, perhaps even love.

"What?" she said playfully. "You think your being a werewolf's going to scare me away? Nice try, but I grew up with Bellatrix, remember?"

Remus could not contain his joy. He laughed and abruptly pulled Alex into a kiss that ended only when Professor McGonigall walked in looking scandalized.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I'm going somewhere with all of this, I promise! I just have to get there...

neurotica5684: Yeah, covering all the years from first to sixth seemed tedious, unnecessary and more than a tad obsessive! I agree. Bellatrix's a twisted, evil freak...as you'll find out in more detail later (hint, hint).

I hope to be able to update soon! Keep reading and reviewing please everyone!


	5. The Eve of the Wedding

Disclaimer: Once again...I do not own Harry Potter, nor would I ever claim to own Harry Potter. Sad fact of life.

Alex opened the door to her flat after a very long day. Days like this made her want to quit her job as an Auror and open up a joke shop. Or, at the very least, go into the country to live the rest of her life in peace.

Lately she had been working on a case that was especially confusing and tiresome, that of tracking the whereabouts of Bellatrix Black, one of the most wanted Death Eaters of the time and, ironically, her own cousin. Not that either of them would acknowledge the relationship.

Alex had to admit, she was made for the job. Having grown up with Bellatrix, one of the most evil witches alive, Alex thought she should be able to read her mind like no one else could. But still, she was drawing a blank. Six months of hard work and still no Bellatrix.

The most frustrating part was that Alex was sure she had all the information she needed to find her infamous cousin. It was just a matter of putting the pieces of the puzzle together in the right way. But then that was always the hardest part of an Auror's job.

Stop complaining, she thought to herself. You know you love it. Which was true. There was nothing more appealing to her than uncovering the most evil witches and wizards alive and exterminating them for their crimes.

Well, that wasn't completely true. There was one thing, one person rather, more appealing, she thought as she looked at her engagement ring.

It certainly wasn't much to look at, but who could afford expensive rings at a time like this, especially Remus? Hard-pressed to find a job in normal conditions, Remus, like her, had devoted all his time and energy to the Order. But he does still manage to save quite a lot of his energy for you, she reminded herself.

Alex climbed into bed, only bothering to idly fling her shoes across the room. She couldn't manage to work up the energy to change; she was exhausted.

Pulling the sheets up around her body, Alex stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow was the big day. Her wedding day. Her gown was ready in the closet, and Lily would come early tomorrow to help her with her hair and makeup. Alex even suspected that Remus had saved his money to buy her a small diamond ring. Okay, so she didn't suspect that he had bought her a ring, she knew it. Remus was never any good at hiding things from her in the first place, and admittedly she had used her abilities as an Auror to find the ring. It was small, nothing that anyone would gawk over, but it fit her perfectly. It was intricately crafted and beautiful in its delicacy. She hadn't realized that Remus had such good taste. You'd never know it to look at his clothes.

That's not fair, Alex, she reprimanded herself. It's not like he's got loads of money stored away, and he's spending what he does earn on _you_! She did know, however, that he would certainly be flawlessly attired tomorrow. Their wedding was as important to him as it was to her, though it would be a small affair because of the war.

She remembered Remus' face as she accepted his proposal and fell asleep warm in the comfort of his imaginary embrace.

* * *

Alex woke with a start. She was breathing hard, her head throbbing with the knowledge that something was not right. Somewhere in her cursed pureblood family, there had been a seer, and she had endowed Alex with just enough sight to discomfort herself. It could occasionally come in handy as an Auror, but it sent as many false alarms as it did true warnings. 

Alex almost rolled over and went back to sleep but decided to check the door to calm her paranoia before she went back to bed. She silently slid out from under her sheets and grabbed her wand at her nightstand. A faint green light shimmered through the crack underneath the door, and Alex's heart raced as she realized her predicament. She backed away from the door as it exploded off its hinges with a flare of green light. Two people strode into the room, silhouetted in the light from the doorway.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Alex shouted as she recognized the form Bellatrix and her husband, but the two blocked the spell, sending it hurtling back at Alex.

Caught off-guard, Alex cursed, dodging the spell like a novice. Pull yourself together, or you'll end up dead, she thought. For goodness sake, you're an Auror after all!

She thought of sending a message to the Order, but she didn't have the time, she was so busy blocking deadly spells and sending her own back. So far, she had only managed to singe Bellatrix's hair, something that made her cousin even angrier. Alex knew the battle was over before it had even started. Outnumbered two to one, she would never win. It was just a matter of time before…Alex yelled as her wand flew out of her hand, a well-aimed spell from Bellatrix sending it to the other end of the room. Alex dove for it, but Bellatrix's husband had already sent a binding spell, and ropes caught her painfully midway through her flight, sending her flat against the floor on her stomach.

Alex breathed hard as she attempted to reach her wand. It was hopelessly far away. She would die here, the night before her wedding day. The thought brought tears to her eyes.

"Boo-hoo, my poor little cousin crying like a baby," Bellatrix spat, her hands over her mouth in mock-horror. "So sad, ickle Alexandra, the night before your wedding day too." Bellatrix used her foot to flip Alex over onto her back like she was flipping a fish frying on a pan.

Alex's eyes opened wide in shock. The pig had planned this! How did Bellatrix know about her wedding date though? Only close friends knew about her wedding.

Then it all made sense. The spy. He had told her. The spy was the key to everything. And she realized with a start who it was. If only she could reach her wand, tell the rest of the betrayal of little Peter Pettigrew. It would be worth even her death to reveal that spying rat.

But Bellatrix immediately guessed her plan. "Now why would you want to go all noble and tell your friends about Peter?" she said with a cackle, snapping Alex's wand neatly in half like a twig. "No, we'll let them find out for themselves, when it's far too late to recover. And when you're long dead and forgotten."

Alex shivered. Her cousin was pure evil, no doubt about it. And she bet that she wouldn't be satisfied with simply killing her quickly.

Bellatrix drew close to Alex, whispering in her ear. "You really have no idea how long I've been waiting for this, for the chance to kill you. You've always been a pest, you and Sirius, my two rotten, goody goody cousins. Think you're so noble, so brave. Well, let's see how brave you are under the Cruciatus Curse, shall we? You'll betray all your friends, yes, even your fiancé, in your pain!"

Alex refused to let Bellatrix see her fear. She spat on her cousin, saying, "Try me scum."

Bellatrix howled in rage. "CRUCIO!" she screeched.

Alex felt pain like she'd never felt before. Her body went stiff with contortions, her back arched, fighting against the ropes that bound her. When Bellatrix let up, her arms and legs were bleeding from the ropes, but a look of defiance still gleamed in her eye.

"Is that all you've got?" she yelled, determined to not give in an inch to her cousin.

"CRUCIO!" Bellatrix howled, her black eyes mad with rage.

Alex was awash in pain. She retreated into her mind. At least Bellatrix couldn't touch her there, couldn't force her to give up her soul as well as her body. Alex knew Bellatrix was playing with her, like a cat plays with a mouse, but soon the games would stop, and the cat would grow tired of its game. Her pain was unbearable. She longed for Bellatrix to just end it all. Her only regret as Bellatrix shouted "Avada Kedavra" was the thought of Remus' face when he found her lifeless body. I'll never really leave you, she tried to tell him. I love you. Please know that, please understand.

Author's Note: Sorry I've taken so long to update this! I didn't really want her to die, so I think it took longer for me to decide to post it. That and an excessive amount of homework combined with senioritus.For anyone mad with me for killing Alex off I have these words: It had to happen. This is not an Alternate Universe fanfiction, and Remus isn't married in the books, and so he doesn't get married here either...by a day. Oh yeah, and Bellatrix is pure evil, so she'd definitely love doing something like this.

Thanks neurotica5684for reading and reviewing! And I'm sorry again that this took so long! Hopefully you're faster atupdating your stories than I have been lately!

Thanks for reading my story everyone and please review! Oh, and I'd best mention as well that this isn't the end of the story!


	6. Happy Anniversary

Disclaimer: Once again...I do not own Harry Potter, nor would I ever claim to own Harry Potter. Sad fact of life.

Remus Lupin glanced at his sleeping friend and snorted. Some things never changed. Then, of course, Sirius should be tired after last night. He had run around like the maniac he was, pulling Remus along with him, all the while attempting to put more alcohol in his system than a full-grown hippogriff could handle.

Sirius is a good friend, he reminded himself, despite his questionable habits, to him as well as to Alex.

_Alex._ Today was the day. Their wedding day. Remus could hardly believe it was actually happening, but it was.

An exceptionally loud snore from Sirius broke Remus' train of thought. He looked at his friend with amusement as an uncharacteristically evil thought entered Remus' head. _One last prank to remember me by Padfoot._

The look on Sirius' face as the bucket of ice water showered his tousled head was priceless. A great start to any day, Remus thought as Sirius threw a soaked pillow at his head, cursing.

"REMUS!" Sirius shouted upon finding himself drenched to the bone, his friend laughing guiltily above him.

Must be Alex's influence. He was never this much of a prankster before he met that troublemaker. At the thought, he beamed with pride. Alex was more like her cousin than most people thought, including Sirius himself. Both had defied their family to become first Gryffindors then Aurors, and both were incurable tricksters.

Sirius flung a pillow at Remus' beaming face, hitting him squarely in the face and almost bowling him over.

"Now Sirius, just think how angry Alex would be if the person she trusted to walk her down the aisle couldn't walk straight!" The thought brought a mischievous grin to Sirius' face.

"You won't be able to walk straight when I'm finished with you!" And with that, Sirius the dog flew at Remus, truly knocking him over this time.

Sirius was just about to slobber all over Remus' perfectly groomed hair when James burst into the room, panic in his hazel eyes.

Remus pushed Sirius off him as Sirius transformed back into his original shape, his grey eyes staring perplexed at his best friend.

James cut off their questions with a look. "There's no time. Lily called. Something's happened to Alex."

A wave of panic hit Sirius as the words sunk in; he quickly looked to see Remus' reaction when he realized that the pop meant his friend was already gone.

James and Sirius exchanged a grim look before following their friend to Alex's flat.

Within seconds Remus, James and Sirius had all apparated to Alex's flat, fear clearly visible in all their eyes.

Remus, with a strangled sob, ran straight to Alex, picking her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing.

"Tell me she's alive," he said, his voice shaking wildly.

"I'm sorry Remus," Lily whispered, tears running down her face as James held her tight in his arms. "She's dead."

Remus dropped to his knees, his precious burden still held tight in his arms. He brought Alex to his chest, kissing the top of her head, and sobbed as if his heart was cleft in two.

Sirius stood in the background, on his face a mixture of horror and disbelief. How could something like this happen the day of their wedding? Who was evil enough to do such a thing to his sweet, innocent cousin?

The answer came immediately: Bellatrix.

It made sense. Alex had been tracking her. She apparently had been close to finding her, too close for Bellatrix's comfort.

He turned away from the awful scene, focusing on the patterns of the wood floor. He couldn't bear to look at Alex, his favorite cousin, dead, cradled in her fiancé's arms.

Anxious to do something, anything, Sirius let his eyes roam the room, looking for some clue as to what had happened last night. The bed had been slept in, the room was in shambles. Alex's wand lay across the room, broken cleanly in two–she had apparently put up a good fight, but had been overpowered.

Then he saw it. On Alex's dresser. A small sheet of paper, unlike the rest very orderly, very purposely placed there. He immediately recognized Bellatrix's manic writing on it. He read it silently, growing angrier as he did. If it was the last thing he did, he would kill Bellatrix. She was as good as dead.

_Remus,_

_Congratulations on your nuptial! Hope you liked my wedding present. I did go to so much effort to get it for you. Or was it that she went through so much pain? Oh yes, that was it. Give my regards to the other blood traitor Sirius and let him know that the same sticky end awaits him if he proves to be as meddlesome as Alexandra._

_Happy Anniversary,_

_Bellatrix_

On second thought, death is too good for that scum, Sirius thought.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think...aka REVIEW! I can definitely go on with this story if you guys want me to. I have some ideas and some more things to explain. So, once again, REVIEW and tell me your opinions.

Thanks again neurotica for reviewing! I'm surprised that you didn't see that coming, but then I guess it's hard for me to put myself in the reader's perspective since I've known it all along. And yes, poor Remus. I feel guilty about putting him through all of that, but I do think that it explains a few things about him. And thanks for the encouragement! I hope more people are reading this than are reviewing. But I hope they start reviewing!!! (Hear that everyone?! GUILT TRIP!!!)

REVIEW PLEASE! Thanks!


	7. The Funeral and the Promise

Disclaimer: Once again...I do not own Harry Potter, nor would I ever claim to own Harry Potter. Sad fact of life.

The rain fell down diagonally from the sky, soaking the small group of people gathered in the graveyard. Not that any of us care, Sirius thought bleakly.

He looked over to his friend, and his jaw locked at the sight. He had never seen Remus look worse. Considering his friend was a werewolf that was saying something.

Since Alex's death three days ago, watching Remus had been like watching a train wreck in slow motion, over and over again. At first all his friend could do was sob. But by the next day he had hardened, and Sirius wasn't sure whichreaction he liked less. It wasn't just that Remus was pale as death or had grown haggard from lack of eating. It was his eyes that bothered Sirius so much. It was like looking into the eyes of a corpse. Completely deadened.

Of course Sirius himself hadn't been numb to the effects of Alex's death. Over the past few days he had come to realize that she was more a sister to him than a cousin. The only part of his family he truly cared about.

Killed by her own family. Sirius bit his lip in anger, imagining the blood that trickled down his chin to be Bellatrix's own.

He kept asking himself why, though in truth, he knew why. Alex and Bellatrix's mutual hatred wasn't exactly a quiet family affair, though the Black family might have wished to keep it so.

That evil bitch. She'll pay. I'll be sure of that.

* * *

Remus didn't bother to put up his black umbrella. 

Lily had kindly tried to shelter him with hers, but he had only stepped coldly away, unable to even apologize for his rude action.

The rain slid down his face, mixing with the silent tears. Remus was surprised that he could even cry anymore since he could no longer sob or yell or become angry. The past few days had been a blur, but a few vivid scenes were etched permanently into his memory. Sirius' face that morning, shocked and drenched but happy. Alex's body, cold and small on the floor, her eyes dead and staring. And now her coffin, shiny wood made shinier by the pouring rain.

It had all happened so fast. Just three days ago he had been so happy, so sure of his future. And now he had nothing. He was nothing. He felt dead.

He had watched the events after Alex's death unfold as if in a dream or some drug-induced stupor. He clung to the hope that this was all a dream. That the body on the floor wasn't Alex. That he would wake up on his wedding day and laugh at the stupidity of it all.

Now her coffin was lowering into the cold, hard ground. No. This is not happening. Remus made a move to jump in after Alex's coffin, but found himself constrained by James' strong arms, his voice insistent but shaky in his ear.

"Remus, you have to let her go."

But you don't understand, he wanted to say. She's not dead. She can't be. We were getting married. We were going to have children. We had plans. She needs air. I can't leave her. Coffin suffocating her. He wanted to say all of this, to push James off of him and leap into the grave. He'd open the coffin, and she'd be there, a little breathless maybe, but smiling and certainly not dead.

But he didn't. Because he knew it was true. Alex was dead.

* * *

"Where in bloody hell is Peter?" James hissed to Lily as he watched his friend bend slowly, painfully down to pick up a handful of dirt. 

"Maybe he got caught up at work, or sick or-"

"He said he would be here. For Remus. For Sirius. Hell, even for you and me."

"He'll have a good excuse."

"For missing Alex's funeral! If he's _dead_ that wouldn't be a good excuse!"

Lily caught his eye. "James, I know you're angry, but don't even joke about that. Peter was Alex's friend too. I'm sure he has a good excuse so drop it."

"Fine."

* * *

Sirius watched Remus' movements very closely as the gravediggers steadily covered up his fiancée's coffin with dirt. His grief had progressed to yet another level somewhere during the funeral. His face frozen, jaw twitching but clenched tightly shut, Sirius instinctively knew that Remus had decided upon his method of coping with the tragedy: the self-destructive method of repression. 

Without some major monitoring by his friends, he wouldn't last through the next full moon when that carefully contained exterior exploded.

Of course Remus' friends wouldn't leave him alone for a minute, much less for the full moon. But soon James would have to go back to work, leaving Remus unguarded from himself.

Unless...Sirius would stay with him, watch his every move, even live in that rundown old cottage his friend called home. With Sirius breathing down his neck, measuring his every step, Remus wouldn't dare do anything to hurt himself. At least it was worth a shot.

The more Sirius thought about his plan, the more it made sense to him. It was the only solution, the only way to save his friend from himself, and he would do it not only for Remus but for Alex.

_Alex_. While he was spending so much time at home, he could continue her work: to hunt down Bellatrix and bring the scum to justice. Assuming that justice is very painful, Sirius thought grimly. And ends in death.

Sirius was so preoccupied with his plan, not to mention with imagining Bellatrix dying a thousand horrible ways, that he completely missed the fact that one of his friends, Peter Pettigrew, was strangely absent from the scene.

Concerned for the werewolf, he missed the rat.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! And please please please REVIEW! At this point you could say anything in your review and I'd still love it (sad, isn't it? so REVIEW!). I'm really enjoying this multi-character viewpoint. I think I'll continue with that. Oh, and I'm sorry about some of the language, but their friend has just died and "darn" or "heck" just doesn't cover that. As for Sirius, cussing just seems to come naturally to him, and I'm perfectly okay with that.

Thanks neurotica for reading and thanks for your wonderful comments! They made my day and inspired me to update this so quickly. Somehow I don't think Alex would have been scared off by anything Remus could do (or that any decent girl would be for that matter). So she doesn't see him on the full moons. Or she becomes an Animagus. I justdidn't really see that as so much of a problem.On another note,I'm quite shocked(but very flattered) that I made you cry. I wish he could have been happy for more than five minutes. Poor Remus. He'll be in for a tough time of it for quite a while. And thanks for adding me to your favorite stories list! That's so cool!

Once again, thanks for reading everyone and REVIEW!


	8. Breakdown

Disclaimer: Once again...I do not own Harry Potter, nor would I ever claim to own Harry Potter. Sad fact of life.

Sirius watched Remus from across the table. His eggs were untouched, his glass full, his toast whole. Remus stared at a patch of wall in front of him, his blue eyes looking for all the world dead.

Something in Sirius snapped. It had been almost three months since Alex's death, and Remus hadn't seemed to improve at all. If anything he was getting worse. Enough was enough.

Sirius slammed his fist on the table between them, knocking over both his and Remus' orange juice, but was unable to startle his friend.

"Remus!"

No response.

Sirius stood up, calmly picking up his and Remus' plates...then just as calmly dropping them on the floor next to his friend.

Still no response.

Sirius could change that. He hooked his foot around Remus' chair, swiveling his friend in a half circle away from the table. His friend didn't even blink.

Sirius gripped both of Remus' shoulders tightly, kneeling down in front of him, and shook his friend mercilessly until Remus' eyes lost their dead look and blinked in confusion.

"Sirius, what are you doing?"

"No, Remus, the better question is what are _you_ doing? Look at me!" Remus' eyes remained stubbornly on the wall. "I said LOOK AT ME!"

Remus reluctantly looked away from the wall, his gaze meeting Sirius' frantic gray eyes.

"You're still _living_ damn it! You do realize that, don't you? Cause you're sure as hell not acting like it! Moping around, refusing to eat, almost killing yourself on full moons, wanting to kill yourself all the rest of the time!

"Do you think Alex would like it if you _died_! Do you think she'd want you to abandon your friends, to drown yourself in pity!

"I can't believe I'm telling you this, but _grow up_! Your whole world didn't die with her! You still have friends here, friends who are dying! Friends who need your help!"

At that point, Sirius lost it. It was as if all the months of taking care of his sick friend, together with Alex's death and James and Lily's close call had finally overwhelmed his naturally happy-go-lucky spirit. He felt like a man defeated, looking helplessly at the tidal wave bent on taking him out. And he didn't have the strength anymore to fight it.

Sirius released Remus' arms and sunk to the floor, big, paw-like hands covering his face as his head dropped to his knees.

Sirius knew he was crying, something he had despised from childhood, but he no longer cared. He knew he must look like a fool, a grown man bawling and rocking himself at the foot of his friend's chair. But he couldn't make himself care about that either.

Throughout the scene, Remus had silently watched his friend as Sirius first shook him and then collapsed, a whimpering, grown man at his feet.

His friend's hurt startled him from his self-pitying solitude. Sirius never cried. What was going on?

Remus, having regained his mind, looked logically at the past three months in horror. He hadn't processed many of his actions, but he knew he had spent every morning after the full moon bleeding profusely, and his memories of most days were vastly composed of dark thoughts while staring at blank walls.

_My God, I must have put him through hell._

Remus had always been hesitant to show emotion, but at that moment, overwhelmed with guilt and pity for his friend, he decided to make an exception.

He stood up slowly and looked down at the man still sobbing at his feet. His friend.

Sirius was considering taking his mutt form in order to deaden his embarrassingly open emotions when he felt a hand grip his shoulder. Sirius half-jumped, turning as he did so, only to look into the blue, remorseful and, most importantly, alive eyes of Remus.

His tears stopped, and he wiped face quickly on his sleeve, ashamed that his friend had witnessed him sobbing like a little boy.

"Remus," he muttered, trying to keep his voice steady, "I'm sorry, I-"

But his apologies were cut off as his friend suddenly embraced him.

"No Sirius. I'm sorry. I promise I won't abandon you like that again," Remus said, his voice filled with regret. "I never thought I'd see the day where _you_ would have to take care of _me_...but Sirius?"

"What?"

"Thanks."

Sirius shrugged, his smiling self again. "No problem."

Author's Note: Sorry everyone that this has taken so long! What can I say? Life's gotten in the way. Despite appearances, I _do_ have a plan for this story. Actually carrying out that plan has just been harder than I thought.

Thanks to all those who reviewed my last chapter and to those who have ever reviewed this story! I REALLY appreciate reviews...and they motivate me to write more!

**cecelle**: I'm obviously very glad that you found my story again! I hate Bellatrix as well...doesn't everyone? Poppy_would _be frantically running around the castle! She does so enjoy herjob. That's a great image! Teenage boys can be rather one-track minded, and Remus is no exception! Thanks for reviewing!

**siruslycrazyzach**:I'm soooo glad you like my story! I'm a Sirius fan as well (probably why I like writing in his perspective so much). What can I say? He rocks. But I think I relate better to Remus. Anyways, thanks so much for reviewing my story, and I'm sorry this update was so late!

**Missie**: It hasn't ended yet! (Even though it kinda looked that way for a while!) Thanks so much for reviewing, and I hope you continue to enjoy it!

**Neurotica**: No, I don't think it's strange to hate a fictional character so much. As long as it's Peter, that is. I think Sirius would agree. Sorry this update has taken sooo long! I hope I'll be better about that in the future! Of course I wouldn't mind if you recommended this story to other readers! I would love to get more reviews, though I am VERY grateful for the ones I'm getting at the moment! Thanks for reviewing!

Thanks to all who reviewed! I REALLY appreciate reviews, so everyone TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! And thanks for reading too!


	9. Cookies and a Dream

Author's Note: Wow. I am really sorry about how long that took. Graduation, lack of inspiration, general laziness and other sad factors contribtued to my pathetically late update of this! Please accept my sincerest apologies.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor would I ever claim to own Harry Potter. Sad fact of life.

"Remus? You here?" Sirius looked around their deserted apartment and shrugged. "Guess not."

Which was strange. The dirty dishes had disappeared from their usual abode in the sink. Sirius' pizza box was nowhere to be seen. In short, the apartment showed all the normal signs of Remus' fastidious presence...except for his actual presence.

Since Remus had returned to the world of the living, he and Sirius had been getting along quite well together, at least in Sirius' opinion. They had somewhat of a symbiotic relationship, you could say. Sirius worked as an Auror all day, came home and made a mess. Remus did paperwork for the Order all day at home and cleaned up after him. In short, life was good.

Sirius shrugged. Maybe he was shopping. For food. To feed him. Satisfied with that conclusion, Sirius decided to do what he did best: scavenge for food in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Remus probably was out shopping. There was very little that was edible in their refrigerater. Sirius slumped his shoulders, a tad disheartened, as he walked back to the living room to take a nap. But then he saw it. The perfect snack. A plate of chocolate chip cookies. Still warm even.

Ten cookies and two glasses of milk later, Sirius flopped onto the couch, feeling a tad nauseous from his cookie binge. Maybe that wasn't such a great idea after all, he thought as his stomach churned angrily. Time for a nap, I guess. And with that, Sirius kicked up his shoes to properly dirty the place up a bit and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Back from his grocery shopping, Remus struggled to open the door while carrying the enormous amount of food that it takes to keep Sirius fed for a couple of days. Idiot, are you a wizard or not? Pulling out his wand, Remus charmed the door open. That's what I thought.

Dropping the groceries on the counter, Remus entered the small living room of their apartment to see what had become of Sirius. What a surprise. Passed out on the couch as usual, the slob.

Smirking at his friend's laziness, Remus turned back to the kitchen and the waiting groceries. Having found little order in the world, Remus turned to order inhis home to give him a sense of stability and control. His books were always arranged in alphabetical order according to subject. His kitchen was always clean. Or at least it was before he started livingwith Sirius.

Picking up an empty plate and glass, Remus placed them both in the sink. He thought of his apartment at the moment as being a zoo. A zoo with one crazy, messy animal and only one overworked zookeeper. It's not that Sirius ordered him to clean up after him or anything. Sirius didn'tcare if theplace crawled with cockroaches or not.But just as the zookeeper would always clean up after his animals, Remus would always clean up after Sirius. It was against his nature to do otherwise.

Remus was halfway through with putting up the groceries, when he heard a sound that interrupted all of his thoughts about zoos and the cleanliness of his apartment.

"Sirius?" Remus queried as he burst into the living room. "What happened?"

Sirius was sitting bolt upright on the couch, his feet still resting on the other side. But his position no longer looked relaxed. As he glanced at Remus, Remus caught a glimpse of what looked like anger in his dark eyes. But the next second, it was gone, replaced by shock, and Remusreally couldn't be surethat he hadn't misinterpreted the look his friend had given him.

"Sirius?" Remus quietly asked again. "What happened?"

The look of shock disappeared from Sirius' face almost immediately, wiped away by a tight smile.

"Oh, it was nothing. A bad dream. That was all. Nothing to, you know, scream about," Sirius quipped easily, evenlaughing forcibly for good measure.But Remus wasn't buying it for a minute. The laughter had never reached his eyes.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"Positive," Sirius said firmly.

And because Remus knew that it was pointless to pursue a subject when Sirius Blackhad declared it closed, he simply raised his eyebrow skeptically athis friendbefore returning to his groceries in the kitchen.

Author's Note: Again, I am sorry about how incredibly late my update was! Please excuse any typos in this as I finally got some more inspiration/direction from this story and I wanted to post this before I left on vacation. Which is the bad news as far as updates are concerned, since I won't be back in the States until the very end of June. I really should be sleeping right now in preparation for a disgustingly early plane flight, but sleep is overrated, and I didn't want you guys to have to wait any longer than you already have been waiting!

Thanks to all my readers and especially to all my reviewers! You all rock.

Neurotica: Thanks for the support and encouragement! You asking about this story was what actually made me sit down and write the rest of it! So thanks a lot for that! I really do like this story and don't just want to abandon it, but while I have an idea of where I want this to go, putting it into practice is a lot harder!

cecelle: Yeah, I like that too. I feel bad for both of them, but they both needed a loud wake up call. Death sucks, but life goes on.

siriuslycrazy4zach: Your review replies always make me laugh! (That's a good thing, by the way). Thanks for the encouragement, and I'm sooo sorry I updated so late! Your review always made me feel guilty about that!

Powerpug: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I agree. I hate Sirius-Remusslash. Ick. And I'm only too glad to portray Peter as the manipulative little rat he is during this time period. I hope he wasn't always that way, but I have a suspicion that the capacity for evil deeds was always just beneath his surface.

Thanks again to everyone for reviewing (and reading if you're for some reason just doing that)! Reviews really brighten up my day! (hint hint)


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